This invention relates to mobile shops in which the tools needed to do a job, whether in the field or in a section of a building, can easily be brought to a work location. Having a required tool at hand not only saves time on the job but also increases worker morale. Too often, even in factory maintenance work, a large share of the workers time is spent going back and forth from the job site to the tool bin.
Electricians were among the first to realize the importance of having at least their hand tools close at hand. But their tools, being relatively small in size, can be held in a tool pouch. Other workmen must use considerably larger tools to do their jobs. Pipe fitters, for example, need pipe threaders and groovers along with vises and assembly tools to do their work. The prior art for handling such tools and their related workpieces is limited to portable vise tables of simple structure. As a consequence, during the course of a typical job involving pipe fitting, much of the workers' time is spent bringing workpieces and tools together. Indeed, it is estimated that more than 25 percent of their time is so spent just bringing workpieces and tools together.